Shattered Vows: An Arranged Marriage Standalone Romance (Tarnished Empire)

Linny’s eyes narrowed when Bastian said we were leaving. “I don’t think you’ve done near enough talking for you to go anywhere.”

Was she insinuating that I was losing the bet or was she nervous about me leaving with a man I’d just met? “We’ll talk more on the drive.”

“Drive to where?” she asked, leaning away from her boyfriend. So, definitely the latter.

“I–”

“Totally right for you to be concerned about your friend. Here’s my card.” Bastian handed over a business card that was all black but had his name and contact information on it.

I peered at it and lifted a brow. “Sebastian Armanelli? Fancy name.”

One corner of his mouth lifted just a hair. I couldn’t quite tell if he was amused or irritated with me, yet I liked the look all the same. He continued as if I hadn’t said a word, “If something happens and you can’t find her in 24 hours, hand that over to the police. And call the number now.”

Pulling her phone from her purse, she punched in the numbers. His phone rang instantly.

“You have my personal line and I promise, your boyfriend would help you find me. He likes you more than he does my family.”

The man was trying, more than most men would, and I wasn’t quite sure why. I’d surrounded myself with a lot of people who didn’t go against the tide. If it pulled them, they went. I didn’t find fault in that, but now I had a man actually trying to spend time with me, it shook something in me.

I studied Bastian’s arm when he offered it to me. “Maybe, I shouldn’t go. This is a lot of fuss just to prove my statement wrong.”

“Yet, I’m the one making the fuss. So, let me decide how far I’m willing to go.”

Effort.

Why was it so attractive? And why was I so scared of it?

They said curiosity killed the cat and I guess I was about to find out exactly how. There was something behind his dark eyes that pulled me, like he was searching for something more than the club had to offer, that he wanted to show me that we could find it together.

I sighed and waved to Linny. “I’ll put my location share on with you, okay?”

She nodded and motioned for me to call her.

Leaving the club was much faster than entering. Bastian beelined through the VIP crowd and pulled me down a different darkened staircase. A car waited at the bottom right outside a back door. “Well, that’s convenient,” I mumbled.

“Perks of my lifestyle, I guess.” He waved off his driver and opened the door for me.

I didn’t know the make of the car, but I knew it was more expensive than the limo immediately. The leather was stitched more precisely and felt like butter instead of alligator skin to the touch.

He paused and spoke to the driver, maybe giving directions, before taking the seat beside me.

“Where are we headed?” I asked, aware that I was in a car with a man I didn’t know in a dark alley. The thought sobered me up more than a little.

“One of my favorite places to go is a little island off the coast. The sunrise over the ocean there is like a painting.”

“Interesting,” I murmured. “I pegged you differently.”

“Assuming? I figure you know the saying of what it makes out of you and me.”

“I do, but you have to admit everyone does it. It’s part of our makeup to try to piece things together to avoid being caught in a surprising situation, don’t you think?”

“I think you don’t mind a surprising situation considering you’re sitting here with a man you barely know on your way to a place unknown.”

I stared out the window. In the distance, I saw lights I knew very well. His driver was heading straight to the airport and I pointed to the planes taking off. “Showing me the sunset with planes flying by?”

“Something like that.”

“Hm.” It was different, something I’d never watched, at least not close. “I decided I liked airports when I was young. I went to them a few times with my parents and got to people watch long before I was ever concerned about germs or security or anything like that. I used to love staring out at the big machines.”

“How many times have you flown?”

“Not many. Just enough to know I’m not a total basket case in the air but that I still have a fear of a landing.”

The corner of his mouth lifted just a hair. “You said you like your little town. Did you fly here?”

I smirked at him. He’d gotten more information from me than even the men in my town did. We’d been talking much longer than thirty minutes, and if Linny asked, I’d have to admit, it was intriguing building a sort of bond with another human that you might hook up with.

Yet the feeling tugged on me, warning me to run or to shut up and not say another word.

So I leaned in and whispered, “Does it really matter where I flew from, Bastian?” and took his full lips in mine.

He kissed with precision and a languid sort of lead, like he didn’t want to push too far even though I was the one who’d started it. I scooted closer and grabbed the lapel of his jacket for leverage. His hands gripped my hips as he let me climb on top of him and I felt his excitement, even if his mouth was all control.

I rolled my hips against him and could tell he was bigger than most men I got with. The rigidity of his muscles under my hands told me he must be feeling the bolts of pleasure I felt too. I moaned. We would work out just fine. This was what we both wanted anyway.

Watching a sunrise with a guy wasn’t going to happen, but I’d meet Linny back at the airport early in the morning and we’d be on our way home. At least I’d have this little adventure to remember our trip by.

He gripped my arms and eased me away when the car stopped at the terminal. “We’re here.”

“Should he just drive around?” I shrugged.

“You’re borderline insulting with just wanting to fuck me here, Morina.” His teased me as he quirked his head like he couldn’t figure me out.

I huffed out a breath. “No, it’s just…” I poked his shoulder. “That’s not what I mean. I don’t normally do all this talking, and I think the sunrise sounds nice but…”

“You said I couldn’t show you a good time.”

“I take it back. This will be a good enough time in the car.”

“No. This would be a time you’ve had with many other men.”

“Excuse me, not many.” I tsked and corrected him. “Some. Just what I need to fill a void. I don’t…”

“I don’t just fill voids, love. I obliterate them.” His dark eyes narrowed and it was the first time I saw what Bastian hid underneath his calm demeanor: dominance. “I’m not like any other man. I’ve had a shit day and you comparing me to everyone else is pissing me off.”

Fire in his eyes was not what I expected. The Bastian I’d met in the club had seemed so controlled, yet his grip on my arms tightened, just a touch. But he must’ve realized it, because a moment later he smoothed up and down my skin and goosebumps popped up. My heart fluttered like I cared.

I didn’t.

This was a bad idea.

Still, the fire lured me in, trying to read him more deeply, and I found myself shrugging and getting off his lap. “I don’t see why you want to try to compete with the boys I normally hang out with.”

“Because they are boys and I’m a man, huh?”

“Well, you’re definitely older,” I taunted and he squeezed my thigh as he smiled.

Before I could say anything else, he called to his driver, “Drive to the back, please.”

“Sir?”

“You heard me. Drive around.”

We sped through the terminal drop off and made a sharp turn into a private road that the driver had to use a card up to access. I glanced at Bastian and then at the driver. This wasn’t something I’d seen before. This was straight out of a slasher film.

Grandma would be pissed if I died here.

“So, you know my location share is on, right?”

“You were just about to ride me in the back of this car and now you’re concerned for your life?”

“Well, this is a private road.”

“I’m aware you have location share on. Feel free to call your friend or text them where you are if you want.”

“Where exactly are we going, then?” I grabbed my phone and waved it at him as if suddenly I was being responsible.

“To the back of the airport where the jets are located.”

“Jets?” I practically screeched as they came into view. “Please don’t tell me you own one.”

“I own more but one is here.”

“Oh, my God. You’re filthy rich. Like disgustingly rich, aren’t you?”

“Does it matter?”

I sort of wanted to hyperventilate. People like this made my skin itch and put me on edge about everything I did and said. They had to be intelligent to have so much, but also ruthless or mean or something just as terrible. “Sort of! I mean, people like you should be like giving back to the poor or whatever. Don’t you feel greedy?”

“Greedy that I’ve worked for all this?” He waved to the huge jet we pulled up to.

“I don’t understand this side of living.”

“I’m not asking you to. I’m just asking for you to come on a ride with me.”

“I wanted to ride on you, not come on a ride with you!”

He stared before he started laughing. “I think I’m finally different than all the other men you’ve been with.”

“I mean, maybe. I don’t ever talk to them enough to see if they’re flying around on jets. They come in and zip out of my town. I don’t… this is… this is stupid rich, Bastian.”

“Alright, alright.” He waved away my gobsmacked shock. “Come for a quick flight to the island. It’s just a thirty minute ride.”

I was stunned. Speechless. The alcohol must’ve left my body faster than ever before.

“Come on, let’s see if I’m as boring as the VIP club in Miami.”

He opened the door and stepped out, then turned back and offered his hand to me. I took it.

Why the hell not? I’m already this far in.

What’s the worst that could happen?